The Leg Stretcher Challenge II is March 22, 2014. Introduced by Mac’s Harpeth Bikes last year as a way to “shake off the rust”, the Challenge is a fully supported ride including a fully stocked watering hole, SAG support and lunch. Cost is only $10 (it covers lunch & refreshments)

Getting ready to head out.

The Leg Stretcher Challenge departs from the back lot of Mac’s Harpeth Bikes. The route loosely follows our traditional Tuesday Night Spin Loop, wandering out through neighborhoods then out Cotton Lane to Del Rio and finally the sprint out Old Charlotte Pike to the turnaround at Westhaven.All gone. See y’all in a while.

All gone. See y’all in a while.

The route back follows Cotton Lane all the way up and around becoming South Berrys Chapel. After crossing Hillsboro Road the ride continues to the 4-way stop turning right onto Old South Berrys Chapel/Brookside Drive. This carries you back to Hillsboro Road and a few hundred yards up, a left onto the rolling hills of Spencer Creek Road. Where Spencer Creek ends at Mack Hatcher Memorial Parkway, turn right and follow Mack Hatcher back to Hillsboro Road and Mac’s Harpeth Bikes on your right. Stop in, relax and refill your bottle before heading back out for another 21 mile loop. You WERE going out again weren’t you?

And that’s the beauty of this ride. You can do as many or as few as you feel up to. This is an early season ride and we want you to enjoy it. Make this ride as long or as short as you’re comfortable with. Ride at your pace and enjoy the company of others. When you’re finished, we’ll have the grill ready.

Lunch will be served afterwards. Think more tailgate than fitness. Burgers, brats, brews. If you feel compelled to bring something special to share, I’m sure everyone will help empty your dish:-)

Questions? Call the shop 472-1002 or check out the website www.macsharpethbikes.com and our blog. Updates will be posted there as well as on Facebook.

The First Annual Cascade Challenge to Benefit Cascade Elementary PTO will be held in Wartrace, TN on November the 9th 2013. This ride will take in the beautiful fall colors of Bedford County along country roads rarely ridden by those of us in Williamson County.

The rolling terrain surrounding Cascade Elementary is an ideal setting for a fall ride. Route options of 25, 45 and 65 are designed for riders of all abilities. Enjoy the sights on a shorter ride or test your end of season fitness with the 65 mile option. All routes have fully stocked rest stops to ensure you have an enjoyable ride. Post ride lunch is provided for riders and will be available for purchase for friends and family who join you in your adventure.

The day includes kid’s activities, concessions and music – fun for the entire family! Please plan to stay afterwards and be part of Cascade Elementary Harvest Festival.

All proceeds from the days activities go directly to the Cascade Elementary School’s PTO to support programs, school technology, library books and so much more!

The ride starts and finishes at Cascade Elementary School near Bell Buckle, TN. Day of event registration is available for $40 beginning at 7:00 AM. T shirts will be handed out while supplies last.

Sunday’s ride added a new feature that we will see a lot more this season and into next. After riding Bear Creek down to Lieper’s Creek we slid off to the left onto Davis Hollow. What a beautiful road. The countryside made the climb disappear beneath your wheels. Ask Hugh, he’ll tell you.

While waiting for Brother Dave to find B-Dub, we snapped a quick pic.

We regrouped at the top of Davis Hollow where it joins up with Peach Hollow Pass. David sprinted around the corner to fetch Betty White back up the hill so we could continue on our merry way.

David leading B-Dub back up to the group

Now we should have known something was up when the name included the word pass. Everyone is here for this picture.

All accounted for sir!

After descending down Peach Hollow Pass – it’s double-digit incline for the entirety – we moseyed past the buffalo.

A great time was had by all. The roads were great. Garrison was recently paved. and we made it back in time to see the Titan’s lose. Hopefully, you will be there the next time we make this route.

Well, he did it. After a career-best, 6-win season last year that culminated in the Race to the Toyota Cup series title and USAT Triathlete of the Year honors, Cam Dye has outdone himself. On Sunday, Cam raced to victory at Life Time Tri Dallas for his 7th win of the season aboard his Norcom Straight!

First out of the water, Cam posted a 18:38 swim, 54:55 bike, and 34:50 run. He crossed the tape in 1:50:17 (watch the video HERE), with a 25-second win margin over a hard-charging Stuart Hayes – who was on his heels the whole day.

Previously the Life Time Tri series finale, Dallas is now the 2nd to last stop. Life Time Tri Oceanside on October 20th now marks the end of the series; and with Cam’s Dallas victory, along with his Tempe victory earlier this month, he just put himself in contention to defend his title. Could we be looking at 8 wins?

Fuji’s Liz Blatchford blew away the entire triathlon world Saturday with the race of her life at the Ironman World Championship: a 3rd-place podium finish in her Kona debut among the best triathletes in the world – just the 3rd Ironman of her career!

“Wow, Wow, Wow. I am so overwhelmed to take 3rd here in Kona,” said Blatchford after the 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, and 26-mile run.

4th out of the water in a speedy 54:07, Blatchford exited T1 aboard her custom, pinked-outNorcom Straight and quickly made her way into a 10-rider lead group packed with favorites. They built up a nearly 2-minute advantage, with each rider taking turns at the front.

With attacks as T2 neared, Blatchford entered transition in 5th with a 4:57:40 bike split, yet had to serve a potentially devastating 4-minute penalty for littering. “Brain fade in last bit of the bike,” explained Blatchford post-race.

And so the chase began. Sitting at 10th 7 miles through the run, Blatchford resumed her spot at 5th halfway through the marathon. She then overtook Carline Steffen and Yvonne van Vlerken around Mile Marker 22 to move into 3rd.

Van Vlerken really pushed the pace in the final miles, but Blatchford ran her way onto the podium with a 3:03:23 marathon and 1-minute advantage over a hard-charging van Vlerken (and even 14 seconds faster than 2nd-place Rachel Joyce’s run).

If not for the penalty, could she have climbed even higher? Blatchford said, “It didn’t change the end result, but it did stop me from going sub-9 (hours)!”

Blatchford amassed more than 20 international victories and 30 podiums across the globe throughout her 11 years on the ITU circuit. She very recently made the transition from short-course racing to long-course. She won her first-ever 70.3 event – 2012 Ironman 70.3 Boulder – and her first-ever full Ironman distance – 2013 Ironman Cairns.

Her first-ever Ironman World Championship: a podium. Extraordinary.

Check out our interview with Blatchford pre-race HERE and a video documenting her month of training on the island HERE.
Congratulations Liz!

Mac’s Harpeth Bikes is thrilled to have a group led by John Crawford raising money and awareness for Multiple Sclerosis. Over the first weekend in October 28 riders representing Team MHB/Mac’s Harpeth Bikes will participate in the MS150 Jack & Back riding from Page HS in Franklin, TN to Motlow College in Lynchburg, TN.

As we have done for the past 4 years, Mac’s Harpeth Bikes will be closed that Saturday so that we can provide technical support for the event on both Saturday and Sunday. You can find us both days at Eakin Primary School in Shelbyville, TN. If you’re not riding and out and about drop in and say hello. Kris will be manning the work stand on Saturday and Mac will be there Sunday.

At T-9 and counting we are a little over 95% towards our goal of raising $10,000 for MS. As an added benefit, Mac McCabe owner of Mac’s Harpeth Bikes has pledged to match up $1,000 towards the Alzheimer’s Challenge Ride in November. Look for details on that event soon.

If you would like to ride in either of these events or volunteer, please call the shop at 615-472-1002 or check out the website at www.macsharpethbikes.com

To determine America’s Best Bike shops for 2013, a team that consisted of NBDA
Board Members determined the results should highlight shops that best supported
their community, provided the top notch customer service, and supported the
industry both locally and nationally.

An all points bulletin was sent to
bike shops across North America asking for their participation in completing an
application that consisted of eight essay questions. The answers explained in
measurable detail, what sets them apart from the competition to make them
“America’s Best”. Shops receiving a high score were Mystery Shopped to verify
the claims both in the shop and on-line.

An independent party matched
each application against a checklist to determine a final score. The point
system consisted of:
* 100 points for customer support

* 100 points
for knowledgeable staff

* 90 points for operational excellence

*
60 points for marketing excellence

* 90 points for community
involvement

* 40 points for local bike advocacy

* 40 points for
national bike advocacy

* Up to 50 points for extra credit (chance to get
the last word)

* The Mystery Shopper has a maximum of 100 points that
could be awarded.
You’ll note there are more than 500 possible points
possible, and the blog has been corrected to reflect that. The cut-off of 370 is
accurate.

We expect the number of stores applying will grow in the future
as the program gains momentum, and as people fully digest the fact that there is
no Top 100. My guess is that there are 500-800 stores out there who would
qualify if they chose to apply and took it seriously.

Fuji makes its return to the Vuelta a España: one of the most prestigious races in the world that brought us our very first grand tour victory just two years ago. This year, we have Fuji-sponsored German pro continental team NetApp-Endura vying for the red jersey.

In five stages thus far, NetApp’s already animated the race. Aboard their Norcom Straights, they finished 7th in the opening stage Team Time Trial.

With just 1.4 km to go in Stage 2, Leopold König launched a mind-blowing attack that put him within seconds of a podium – 4th on the day (watch the video HERE)! And teammate Bartosz Huzarski has finished with the lead group nearly every stage; he currently sits at 11th in the GC, with König at 13th.

We are eager to see what’s to come in the upcoming stages. This year’s race features an unbelievable 11 mountaintop finishes, including one atop the Angliru – where Cobo earned his majestic victory back in 2011 that carried him to Madrid for the overall victory. Will König attack like he did earlier this season to win the Tour of California’s Stage 7 on the slopes of Mt. Diablo? Will the Altamira prove to be the best climbing machine in the pro peloton yet again? Stay tuned.

So the weather is finally going to change in our favor and provide a terrific opportunity to put in some real miles. In recognition of this rite of spring, we will host a ride this Saturday, March 9, 2013. The Leg Stretcher Challenge is an opportunity to put in as many miles as you want without ever wandering too far away. We will provide complete support for each leg with a fully stocked rest stop and SAG support if necessary. Here’s the deal:

MHB has mapped out a 21 mile loop over roads most everyone is familiar with. Think River Landing>Cottonwood>Del Rio>etc. The detailed map can be found on www.mapmyride.com or at Mac’s Harpeth Bikes Facebook page- check EVENTS. You can ride as many or as few loops as you want to reach your mileage goal. And we have Exit Strategies in place if you decide you’re done and it’s Happy Hour.

We are also going to have some prizes to give away. Each loop gains you an entry. Details below.

The loop starts at the shop, exits the parking lot and turns right up Hillsboro Road. We’ll turn left at S. Berry’s Chapel and then wander along our usual Tuesday night loop through River Landing, Cottonwood and then out and around Cotton/Del Rio/Carlisle/Hwy 96 and back up Old Charlotte. You get the idea. After each loop, swing through the back of the shop and fill your bottles, grab a snack and a few more riding partners and head back out. Repeat as needed.

Once through, we’ll have the tent set up with a grill and a cooler to let you to re-hydrate and cool down properly. Now this is a freebie so I’ve got the rest stop goodies covered. And a cooler full of ice. What goes into the cooler is up to you. Same with the grill. We’ve got some brats we’re going to throw on and some veggies (shhhh, don’t let Don know) but that’s about it. Bring something down and we’ll turn it into a proper social/cycling outing. Pretty much like everything we do around here.

Now don’t get all worked up. This isn’t a hammer-fest unless YOU want it to be. This can be a Long-Slow-Day building base miles. An interval day back and forth on Del Rio. Or a chance to enjoy the sunshine and weather in the mid-60’s. It’s your call. We just want you to have a great time on your bike.

Oh yeah, the prizes. You get one entry for showing up and doing your first loop. Wear your MHB jersey and get another entry. Do one more loop, get another. You get the idea. We’ve got socks, arm warmers, bar tape (with install), lights, etc. We’ll add more depending on how many folks participate.

SO wrapping this all up; we going to support you this Saturday for as many miles as you want to ride. You ride at your speed and have fun. When it’s all over and everyone is relaxing out back, we’ll have some laughs and our drawing. Pretty simple. If I missed anything, call me and I’ll fill you in.

We all love to ride. And we’re not ready to resort to rollers and the turbo just yet. So what to do? Go ride your bike, that’s what. With proper lighting and clothes, night riding can be fun and safe. We’ve been getting the base miles in heading out 2 or 3 nights a week after work. 17 – 25 miles. Pretty normal pace. It get’s cold, but it sure beats the heck out of Sufferlandia.